Fender-operating mechanism.



W. D. WRIGHT.

FENDER OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. s, 1906.

1,068,474. I Patented July 29, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESEEET its- ATTEI 5N EY.

COLUMBIA PLA'NfiGRAPl-l CD" WASHINGTON, D. C.

W. D. WRIGHT.

FENDER OPERATING MECHANISM. APPLIOAIION I'ILE'D DBO. 8, 1906.

Patented July 29, 1913.

2 SHEBTBSHEET 2.

INVENTEIR.

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WlTN E5555.

WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

FENDER-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 29, 1913.

Application filed December 8, 1908. Serial No. 346,829.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. WRIGHT, of Providence, in the county ofProvidence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Fender-Operating Mechanism; and I do herebydeclare the following specification, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

The invention relates to that class of railway-cars which are equippedwith fenders and with air-brakes.

The object of the invention is to insure that the fender shall bereleased or otherwise operated whenever there is an emergencyapplication of the air-brakes, and without any separate or independentmanipulation by the, engineer or motorman.

To that end the invention consists primarily in providing means wherebythe emergency application of the air-brakes will also serve to releaseor otherwise operate the fender, and so that the fender will always bereleased or operated whenever there is an emergency application of theair-brakes.

A further feature of the invention consists in actuating the fenderoperating mechanism by fluid pressure, and in controlling such fluidpressure by the emergency application of the air-brakes. In the drawingstwo arrangements are shown for thus controlling the fluid pressure toactuate the fendenooerating mechanism. In one arrangement, which isadapted for use in connection with an air-brake controlling valve(commonly known as the engineers valve) such as heretofore employed, andwhich may be applied to such controlling valves already installed uponcars, a valve separate. from said controlling valve is employed, suchseparate and supplemental valve being arranged to be operated bythemovement of said controlling valve. In the other arrangement, whichinvolves the employment of a controlling valve of a somewhat differentconstruction, the fluid pressure to actuate the fender-operatingmechanism is controlled by the controlling valve itself, saidcontrolling valve being provided with addi-.

tional ports for this purpose.

The invention further consists in the combinations' and arrangements ofparts hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion ofthe plat-form of a railway car showing the controlling valve of theair-brake system and the piping therefor with the present inventionapplied thereto, and showing also a portion of one of the trucks with afender supported thereon. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1 with the connecting rod leading to the fender brokenaway. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail on anenlarged scale. Fig. 5 is a front elevation corresponding to Fig. 2, butshowing a modified arrangement. Fig. 6 is a front elevation partly insection on an en larged scale showing the construction of the air-brakecont-rolling valve employed with the modification shown in Fig. 5. Fig.7 is a section through the rotary member of the controlling valve takenon the line a2-0c of Fig. 6. Figs. 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatic views ona still larger scale showing the different positions of the controllingvalve.

1 represents the platform of a railway car, which it will be understoodis provided with a system of air'brakes, 2 is the pipe leading from thereservoir of the air-brake system. I e

3 represents as a whole the air-brake controlling valve.

4 is the train pipe or pipes leading to the brake-cylinder or cylinders,and 5 is the exhaust pipe. Leading from the train-pipe 4 is a pipe 6which is provided with a valve 7. The pipe 6 leads to a cylinder 8,within which is a piston 9 having a piston rod 10 which projects throughthe lower end of said cylinder. A spring 11 is arranged within thecylinder below the piston with one end bearing against the piston andthe other end bearing against the bottom of the cylinder, said 'springacting to normally keep the piston 9 in itsupper position, as shown inFig.2. The lower end of the pis ton-rod 1O normally engages one arm of abell-crank lever 12 which is pivoted to a bracket 13 secured to thecar-platform. To the other arm 14 of said bell-crank lever is connecteda rod 15, the other end of which rod is connected to one arm 16 of abellcrank lever which is shown. as pivoted on the frame of the fender.The other arm 17 of this bell-crank lever is arranged to engage theupper end of the sliding latchblock 18 which serves to normally latchthe fender 19 in its raised position, as shown in Fig. 1, said block 18being provided with a notch 20, with which a projecting pin 31 se curedto the fender engages, and by means of which engagement the fender isheld. in. its latched position.

The controlling valve is provided with the usual operating handle 22,and the valve 7 in the pipe 6 is arranged in proximity to said operatinghandle as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The valve 7 may be of any suit-ableconstruction, but is preferably a spring-pressed valve with the springoperating to keep the valve normally seated, and is provided with aprojecting valve-stem 23. The hub of the handle 22 is provided with acam projection 24, and the projecting end of. the valve stem 23.

is so arranged as tov normally stand in thepath of said cam 24 and sothat when the handle 22, is moved from, the position shown in full linesto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, the cam. 24: willoperate to press the valve-stem 23 inward and thereby open the valve 7.It will be understood that the position of the operating handle 22 shownin dotted lines in Fig. 1 is the position which said handle occupieswhen the handle and the cont-rolling valve have been. moved to what isknown as emergency position- The handle22 is also provided with a secondcam-projection 25 for a purpose hereafter to be described.

The operation of the parts above described is as follows: With the valve7 closed the piston 9 and piston-rod 10 are in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2 and in such position that the fender 19- may be latched inits raised position, as shown in Fig. 1. For a service application ofthe brakes the handle 22 is moved only a comparatively short distance tothe rightand not sufliciently far to cause any movement ofthe valve-stem23 by the cam 24. Consequently such service application of the brakeswill not operate torelease the fender. When, however, the handle 22 ismoved to the dotted. line position in Fig. 4: the cam 24, by itsengagement with the valve-stem 23, will operate to. open the valve 7 andthereby admit air under pressure from the train-pipe 4 through the pipe6 to the-cylinder 8,, where it will act upon the piston 9 and move thesame. downward. The downward movement thereby imparted to the piston-rod10 will depress the arm 12 of the bell-crank lever, which movement ofsaid lever will, through the connecting rod 15 and bell-crank lever 16,17, serve to raise the latchlS and so as to release the fender 1-9 andpermit the forward end thereof to drop down into contact with the railsor with the roadbed between the rails. It will be understood that whenthe air-pressure is to be exhausted from the brake-cylinder and from thetrainpipe. 4:, the handle 22.is to be moved from the position shown indotted lines to. a position at the left of the position shown in fulllines in Fig. 4.. Such movement. of the. handle, will movethe cam 24;out of engagement with the valve-stem 23 and thus cause the valve 7 tobe closed by its spring. This closing of the valve 7 will prevent theexhausting of the air-pressure from the cylinder 8 so long as said valve7 remains closed, and consequently it is necessar 1 to again open thevalve 7 for the purpose of exhausting said cylinder 9. For thispurposethe cam-projection 25 is so located that after the handle 22 has beenmoved toits usual exhaust position a slight further movement of saidhandle beyond that position will, bring said cam 25 into engagement withthe valve-stem 23 and thereby again open the valve 7. This opening ofthe valve 7 will cause the cylinder 8 to be exhausted through thecontrollingvalve and through the exhaust pipe 5. When the cylinder 8 isthus exhausted the pistonrod 1:0 will be raised by the spring 11 and sothat the fender may be then again latched in thepath of said cam 26.With this construction whenever the piston-rod 10 is moved downward thecam 26 will force in the valve stem 29 and thus permit the flow of airthrough the pipe 27 to the whistle. As shown in the drawings, the cam 26is of such construction that in the continued downward movement of thepiston-rod 10 said cam will pass by the valve-stem. 29 and thus permitthe valve 28 to be closed after a short blast has been given.

Referring now to the modified arrangement shown in Figs. 5 to 10inclusive, the reservoir pipe 2. the controlling valve 3. the train-pipe4 and the exhaust-pipe 5 are arranged inv the same manner as in Fig. 2.The pipe 6, however, instead of leading from the train-pipe 4 leads fromthe controlling valve and the. controlling valve is constructed somewhatdifferently from the valve heretofore commonly employed, being providedwith a port or ports for controlling the admission of air and theexhaustion of air from the pipe 6 and cylinder 8. As shown in Fig. 6,the pipe 6 communicates with a lateral port 30 formed in the non rotarymember 31 of the controlling valve. The vertical port 32 also. formed inthe non.

brought intov alinement with theport 32 when the rotary member 33 ismoved to its full exhaust position. It will be understood that the port32 in the non-rotary member and the ports 34 and 35 in the rotary memberare ports additional to those commonly employed in the controllingvalve, such additional ports being provided, in connection with thereleasing of the fender as hereinafter described. It will be furtherunderstood that the other ports indicated in the diagrammatic views,Figs. 8, 9 and 10, are the usual ports of the controlling valve asheretofore employed, and it will be sutlicient simply to designate theseports by numbers as follows: 36 is the inlet port and 87 the outlet portof the rotary member; 38 is the service port and 39 the emergency portof the non-rotary member, both of which communicate with the reservoirpipe 2; 40 is the port in the non-rotary member which communicates withthe train-pipe 4 and 41 is the slow exhaust port and 42 the full exhaustport in the nonrotary member, both of which ports communicate with theexhaust pipe 5.

The operation of the arrangement last described is as follows: Fig. 8represents the rotary member of the controlling valve in what is knownas lap position with all the ports closed. Vhenever the rotary member ismoved from the position shown in 8 to the position shown in Fig. 9,which is the emergency position of the controlling valve, the port 34 inthe rotary member will be brought into alinement with the port 32 in thenon-rotary member, as shown in Figs. (K and 9. lVith the parts in thisposition. therefore, the air under pressure which is admitted to theinterior of the rotary member by the bringing of the port 36 intoalinement with the port 39 will flow through the ports 84, 32, 30 intothe pipe 6 and thence into the cylinder 8, where it will act upon thepiston in said cylinder to move the same and its piston-rod downward,and so as to turn the bell-crank lever 12 and thereby unlatch andrelease the fender as in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Whennow the rotary member is moved from the position shown in Fig.9 to theposition shown in Fig. 10, which is the full exhaust position of saidmember, the port 35 will be brought into alinement with the port 32 inthe non-rotary member and thereby communication will be established fromthe pipe =3 through the non-rotary and rotary members to the exhaustpipe 5 and so as to exhaust the cylinder 8 and thus permit the resettingof the fender.

It may be sometimes desirable, as when the car has been stopped upon anincline, to exhaust the cylinder 8 and to reset the fender withoutreleasing the air-brakes, and in the arrangement shown in Fig. means areprovided for doing this. Such means consists of a suitable exhaust valve4:3 located in the pipe 6 and provided with a projecting valve-stem atThis valve 43 is provided with a port opening to the atmos phere, whichport is normally closed by the valve which may be held to its seat by aspring. hen it is desired to thus exhaust the cylinder 8 withoutreleasing the brakes the controlling valve is moved to the lap positionshown in Fig. 8, in which position all the ports are closed and whichmovement of the valve will therefore not operate to re lease the brakes.ith the controlling valve thus moved to lap position the motorman orengineer may, by pressing upon the valve-- stem ts, move the valve 43away from its seat and so as to open the port to the atmosphere andthereby exhaust the cylinder 8.

With both of the arrangements above described, as will be seen, wheneverthere is an emergency application of the brakes, the fender will bereleased and dropped without any operation or manipulation of the handle22 of the controlling valve in operating said valve for the emergencyapplication of the brakes.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive a valve in additionto thecontrolling valve is employed, the operation of said additionalvalve being controlled by the movement of the handle 22 of thecontrolling valve. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5 to 10 inclusiveno additional valve is required but the release of the fender isefiected by the operation of the controlling valve itself.

lVhile in both of the arrangements above described the flow of thecompressed air to actuate the fender releasing mechanism is controlledeither directly or indirectly by the :cvement of a controlling valveadapted for both service and emergency applications, it will beunderstood that so far as the present invention is concerned twoseparate controlling valves may, if desired, be employed, one adaptedfor service application and the other adapted for emergency applicationof the brakes, and with the fender-releasing mechanism controlled fromthe second or emergency valve, it being essential only that thefender-releasing mechanism shall be actuated and the fender releasedwhenever there is an emergency application of the airbrakes. It ispreferred, however, to employ a single controlling valve which isadapted for both service and emergency applications, as thereby there isonly one valve to be manipulated and the liability of confusion isavoided.

It will be understood that any other suitable form of air-brakecontrolling valve may be employed in place of the one herein shown anddescribed. It will be further understood that instead of providing thecontrolling valve handle with the cam-protherewith in its movement toemergency position.

\Vhile it is preferred to employ the fluid pressure of the air-brakesystem for operating the piston 9, such fluid pressure may, in thearrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, be taken from a separatesource, if desired, as for example from a separate reservoir providedfor the purpose.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, fluidpressure mech anism for operating said tender, and means actuated by thehandle of said controlling valve for admitting fluid pressure to actuatesaid fender operating mechanism.

The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, fluidpressure mechanism for operating said fender, and a supplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve foradmitting fluid pressure to actuate said fender operating mechanism.

3. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, fluidpressure mechanism for operating said tender, and a supplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve foradmitting fluid pressure to actuate said fender operating mechanism,said handle being provided with a suitable projection to operate saidsupplemental valve.

41:. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, fluidpressure mechanism for operating said fender, and a supplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve foradmitting fluid pressure to actuate said tender operating mechanism,said handle being provided With a suitable projection arranged tooperate said supplemental valve When said handle is moved to itsemergency position.

5. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a fender, acylinder and piston for operating said fender, and ampplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve foradmitting fluid. pressure to said cylinder to actuate said piston.

6. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, fluidpressure mechanism for operating said fender, and a supplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve, saidhandle being provided With two projections, one arranged to operate saidsupplemental valve to admit fluid pressure to actuate said fenderoperating mechanism, and the other arranged to operate said supplementalvalve to exhaust the fluid pressure thus admitted.

7. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, acylinder and piston for operating said tender, and a supplemental valveadapted to be operated by the handle of said controlling valve, saidhandle being provided With two project-ions, one arranged to operatesaid supplemental valve to admit fluid pressure to said cylinder, andthe other arranged to operate said supplemental valve to exhaust thefluid pressure from said cylinder.

8. The combination of an air-brake controlling valve, a tender, acylinder and piston for operating said fender, means controlled by saidcontrolling valve for admitting fluid pressure to said cylinder toactuate said piston, a whistle operating pipe, and a valve thereinadapted to be operated by said piston.

XVILLIAM D. WRIGHT.

"Vitnesses \V. H. TI'IURSTON, J. H. THURSTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

